Trump administration announces sanctions against European groups that combat hate speech online

The government of United States President Donald Trump announced on Tuesday (23) sanctions against five European figures who advocate strict regulation of technology and the fight against online disinformation, including former French commissioner Thierry Breton. ✅ Follow the g1 international news channel on WhatsApp The actions of these people, who were banned from entering the USA, are similar to “censorship” to the detriment of American interests, justified the State Department. “For too long, ideologues in Europe have led organized efforts to coerce American platforms and punish American points of view with which they do not agree,” criticized Secretary of State Marco Rubio on the social network X. See the videos trending on g1 “The Trump administration will no longer tolerate these atrocious acts of extraterritorial censorship,” he added. The measure targets Thierry Breton, former European Commissioner for the Internal Market and responsible for leading digital regulation in Europe. The Frenchman clashed with businesspeople in the technology sector, such as Elon Musk, for enforcing European Union standards. The State Department described Breton as “the brains” behind the Digital Services Act (DSA), legislation that imposed content moderation measures and data protection rules on major social networks. “Is a wind of McCarthyism blowing again?” asked Breton on his account on the social network “To our American friends: Censorship is not where you think it is.” The other four people affected by the US entry ban are representatives of NGOs combating disinformation and online hate in the UK and Germany. The list includes Imran Ahmed, founder of the Center for Combating Digital Hate (CCDH), who came into Musk’s sights after the acquisition of Twitter, renamed as X. Anna-Lena von Hodenberg and Josephine Ballon, from the German organization HateAid, are also targeted by the ban. The State Department said the nonprofit is tasked with “strengthening” the DSA. The group of those sanctioned is completed by Clare Melford, who runs the organization Global Disinformation Index (GDI). In a message on “My predecessor Thierry Breton acted in the name of the general European interest, faithful to the mandate received from voters in 2019 (…) Total solidarity with him and all affected Europeans”, stated Séjourné. Jean-Noël Barrot, French Minister of Foreign Affairs, stated that “the people of Europe are free and sovereign and cannot allow others to impose the norms that apply to their digital space.” Attack Since returning to the White House in January, Trump has launched a broad offensive against EU technology rules that impose regulations on platforms, such as reporting problematic content, which Washington considers a violation of freedom of expression. The European bloc has the most powerful legal arsenal in the world to regulate the digital sphere. The United States government was unhappy with the $140 million fine imposed by the EU in early December on Elon Musk’s social network X, described by Rubio as an “attack against all American technology platforms and against the American people.” Overall, Trump keeps Europe on target. In its new National Security Strategy, the Republican government cites a “civilization erasure” of the Old Continent. Washington also criticizes, without distinction, European instances “that undermine political freedom and sovereignty”, migration policies and even “the collapse of birth rates”. US President Donald Trump addresses the nation at the White House on December 17, 2025 Doug Mills/Pool via REUTERS

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